The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for obtaining cardiac data using conductive elements applied to the feet of a subject. While the invention is not so limited, the invention may be carried out using a body fat analysis scale.
Scales are conventionally used to measure body weight. For a commonly used type of scale, a person steps on footpads on the scale and the resulting compressive loading operates a mechanical or electrical apparatus to provide an indication of the person's weight.
Scales have been developed that can also be used to measure a person's body fat. The footpads on such a scale are made electrically conductive. A small electrical current is passed through the body of a person standing on the footpads. Fat tissue has different electrical properties than muscle tissue, due to differing amounts of water in the different tissues. The bioelectrical impedance that exists between the footpads is measured and used to determine body fat properties, typically the body fat percentage.